BackgroundAlthough there is interest in popular diets such as vegan and vegetarian, Paleo, and other “whole food” diets, existing cohort studies lack data for these subgroups. The use of electronic data capture and Web-based surveys in nutrition research may be valuable for future studies by allowing targeting of specific dietary subgroups.ObjectiveThe aim was to perform a Feasibility Survey (FS) to assess the practicality of Web-based research methods to gather data and to maximize response rates among followers of popular diets.MethodsThe FS was an open, voluntary, 15-min survey conducted over 8 wk in the summer of 2015. Recruitment targeted self-identified followers of popular diets from a convenience sample, offering no incentives, via social media and e-newsletters shared by recruitment partners. Feasibility was assessed by number of responses, survey completion rate, distribution of diets, geographic location, and willingness to participate in future research.ResultsA total of 14,003 surveys were initiated; 13,787 individuals consented, and 9726 completed the survey (71% of consented). The numbers of unique visitors to the questionnaire site, view rate, and participation rate were not captured. Among respondents with complete demographic data, 83% were female and 93% were white. Diet designations were collapsed into the following groups: whole-food, plant-based (25%); vegan and raw vegan (19%); Paleo (14%); try to eat healthy (11%); vegetarian and pescatarian (9%); whole food (8%); Weston A Price (5%); and low-carbohydrate (low-carb) (4%). Forced-response, multiple-choice questions produced the highest response rates (0–2% selected “prefer not to answer”). The percentage who were willing to complete future online questionnaires was 86%, diet recall was 93%, and food diary was 75%; the percentages willing to provide a finger-stick blood sample, venipuncture blood sample, urine sample, and stool sample were 60%, 44%, 58%, and 42%, respectively.ConclusionsThis survey suggests that recruiting followers of popular diets is feasible with the use of Web-based methods. The unbalanced sample with respect to sex and race/ethnicity could be corrected with specific recruitment strategies using targeted online marketing techniques.

Background We examined differences in food selectivity by gender and parent race/ethnicity in children with intellectual disabilities. Method A convenience sample of 56 children with intellectual disabilities was analysed. A modified Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire and a 3‐day food record were used to measure child food refusal rate and food repertoire, respectively. Results Boys were about twice as likely to refuse total foods (rate ratio = 2.34, 95%CI = 1.34–4.09) and fruits (rate ratio = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.04–3.95) and 54% more likely to refuse vegetables (rate ratio = 1.54, 95%CI = 0.93–2.54). Children with Hispanic parents were twice as likely to refuse vegetables compared to children with non‐Hispanic White parents (rate ratio = 2.00, 95%CI = 1.03–3.90). In analyses stratified by the presence or absence of co‐occurring probable autism spectrum disorder, boys had greater food selectivity than girls. Conclusions This study expands our understanding of food selectivity in children with intellectual disabilities.

Our study does not support the inverse relationship between antioxidants intake and CRP, but does support the evidence for obesity-induced inflammation and suggests the association can be applied to AA women.

Background Substance use among adolescents in the U.S. is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes in the long-term. Universal youth-focused substance use prevention programs have demonstrated effectiveness but are often not sustainable due to the significant amount of time, effort, and resources required. We describe a trial protocol for a brief, low-participant-burden intervention to improve substance use-specific parent-child communication through the promotion of family meals and increased parental engagement. Methods This study is a parallel-group randomized controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy of a 13-week intervention. A total of 500 dyads of parents and their 5th-7th grade children are recruited from across Massachusetts. Dyads are randomized to the intervention or attention-control condition using block urn randomization, based on child grade, gender, and school. Parents/guardians in the substance use preventive intervention arm receive a short handbook, attend two meetings with an interventionist, and receive two SMS messages per week. Parents/guardians in the control arm receive the same dose but with content focused on nutrition, physical activity, and weight stigma. Participant dyads submit videos of family meals, audio recordings of prompted conversations, and quantitative surveys over an 18-month period (baseline, 3, 6, 12, 18 months post-intervention). The primary outcomes measure the quantity and quality of parent-child substance use conversations and proximal child indicators (i.e., substance use attitudes and expectancies, affiliation with substance-using peers, and intentions and willingness to use substances). The secondary outcome is child substance use initiation. Discussion This is a novel, brief, communication-focused intervention for parents/guardians that was designed to reduce participant burden. The intervention has the potential to improve parent-child engagement and communication and conversations about substance use specifically and decrease child substance use risk factors and substance use initiation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03925220. Registered on 24 April 2019.

Objectives Frequent exposure to negative familial weight talk (NFWT), such as teasing or critical comments about weight from family members, may contribute to weight bias internalization (WBI) in children. WBI entails applying negative weight-based stereotypes to oneself and results in self-devaluation. Higher levels of WBI are linked to adverse outcomes, such as low self-esteem and disordered eating. We examined the association between NFWT exposure and WBI in a diverse sample of children from the Greater Boston Area. Methods Baseline data on 137 parent-child dyads were analyzed. Children, 9–14yo, completed six items measuring NFWT frequency on a 6-point Likert scale (“never” to “almost every day”) from parents, siblings, and other household family members. Responses were converted to times in the past 3 months, summed, and dichotomized as < 9 times vs. ≥9 times. Children completed the WBI Scale–Modified indicating their agreement with applying negative weight-based statements to themselves on a 6-point Likert scale (“strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”). Responses were averaged and the mean WBI score was dichotomized as “low” (<3.0) versus “moderate-high” (≥3.0). Results Over half (52%) of the children were girls and 30% had overweight/obesity (BMI > 85th percentile). Half of the parents were non-Hispanic white. The mean child WBI score was 2.1 (SD = 0.9) and 15% had moderate-high levels of WBI. The median NFWT frequency was 0 (IQR = 6.0) and 25% reported NFWT ≥ 9 times. Children exposed to NFWT ≥ 9 times were 8.2 times more likely to have moderate-high levels of WBI than children exposed to NFWT < 9 times in the past 3 months (prevalence ratio = 8.2, 95%CI = 3.4 to 20.0, P < 0.001, by log binomial regression adjusted for child weight and parent race/ethnicity). Conclusions Family members appear to be a salient source of weight stigma in children. Exposure to NFWT as little as 3 times per month was significantly associated with moderate-high levels of WBI in this diverse sample of children. More research is needed to understand the impact of NFWT on child WBI, such as differences across racial/ethnic groups, by source (i.e., parents versus siblings), and across the lifespan. Funding Sources National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.